Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Slot machines generally include three or more symbol-bearing reels. After a player makes a wager and either pulls a handle or presses a “spin” button, the reels are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with one or more pay lines. If a combination of symbols along an active pay line represents a winning combination, the player is awarded a payout identified on a pay table for that winning combination.
Slot machines are generally available in two different types—video and mechanical. First, a video slot machine simulates the reels and the spinning thereof on a video display. The video display may, for example, be a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD). Second, a mechanical slot machine includes physical, mechanical slot reels driven by stepper motors. Although some players are attracted to the complex and entertaining graphical images, animations, and play sequences afforded by video slot machines, other players are still drawn to mechanical slot machines because they are generally simpler and/or are perceived to be more trustworthy than video slot machines. Even more generally, it is believed that many players place greater trust in wagering game results provided by mechanical components than game results provided by video components. Many players believe that video components are rigged to provide unfavorable game results.
In addition to the mechanical reels of a mechanical slot machine, secondary mechanical components such as dice, balls, wheels, and reels may be added to either a video or mechanical slot machine to display the results of special game features (e.g., bonus games). Not only are such mechanical components often favored over video displays because of their perceived trustworthiness, such mechanical components can also make attractive displays that offer tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement. Accordingly, it is desirable to outfit slot machines, whether video or mechanical, with mechanical components for displaying game results.
Basic slot machines allow for only minimal interaction players and the machine. Such minimal interaction may, for example, include selecting a wager amount, selecting a number of pay lines to play, and initiating a spin of slot reels. To increase player appeal, many slot machines now allow for considerable interaction between players and the machine. For example, in many bonus games a player is allowed to select a number of items or control movement of a character presented on a video display. The player receives awards based on the selected items or the movement of the character. Such interactive games provide players with a perception that they can affect or control the game results when, in fact, the game results are still random. Players generally like to feel like they have some control (or “perceived skill”) over the game results. Accordingly, it is also desirable for slot machines to provide players with a perception that they can affect or control the game results.